My path to a Southwest companion pass

Southwest is one of my favorite airlines. I love that they don’t charge cancellation or change fees, they don’t charge for bags, and their flight attendants are one of the friendliest in the sky. So when I had the opportunity to jump on a free two-year companion pass, I pulled the trigger on both the Southwest VISA signature (personal) and the Southwest Business VISA cards at the same time. Here’s how the process works:

You get a companion pass after you earn 110,000 miles in any given year

Each card awards you 50,000 miles after you spend $2,000 in 3 months

With $2,000 in spending on each card and each bonus, that is 104,000 Southwest miles, which means I only need to spend an additional $6,000 at any point during 2013 and I will then hit 110,000 miles, at which point I will earn a companion pass

A companion pass is good for the year in which you earn it, PLUS the following year

By hitting all the required spending in early 2013, I will then have the pass for the rest of 2013 and the entire 2014 year!!!

A companion pass is also good when you fly on award tickets

Earning a companion pass so easily is as good as it gets. For instance, a roundtrip ticket from Ft. Lauderdale to Las Vegas will cost you 23,760 points and $7.50 in fees, and you can bring a companion who flies for free. With free checked bags and no cancellation fees, you can really stretch 110,000 Southwest points into a lot of free flights for two. The companion pass is good for both rewards and paid tickets. Here’s a sample itinerary (without the free companion pass):

Disclaimer: Technically and according to Southwest rules, bonus points do not actually count towards a companion pass. However, this offer has been available on and off for several years, with everyone who has taken it reporting that the bonus points have worked just fine and the companion pass has been issued to the account. I’m happy to report that as of today both bonuses have already posted to my account and they show as counting, so this is a pretty safe bet.

The 50,000 offer per card is not currently available, but it comes and goes, so it is expected that Chase will release the offer again at some point in the future. We will keep you posted when it comes out again.

Recent Travel Locations

Archives

Disclaimer: Readers are solely responsible for any decisions regarding their own credit. Free Travel Guys takes no responsibility for decisions made by readers. Free Travel Guys will earn a small referral credit for successful applications through the links in this post. As always we appreciate any support for the blog.This content is not provided or commissioned by American Express. Opinions expressed here are author’s alone, not those of American Express, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by American Express. This site may be compensated through American Express Affiliate Program.
TravelBlogger Theme developed by FreeTravelWebsiteTemplates.com | Powered by WordPress